Aegis: Love Is In the Air
by x-SystemRestore
Summary: Romantic oneshots for the couples in Aegis Warning: Might be cheesy, but idgaf
1. Care Ivan x Minna

**A/N **_Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (Or the day after) This will be a series of three short stories all revolving around the couples in my fanfic, Aegis. : D _

_Hope you guys will like them!_

_And as a side note, these take place in the first story's time period, not in Fragment's time period. Another side note, these won't really fit anywhere within the main storyline. I only wrote them for Valentine's Day mushy romance oneshots. _

**Aegis: Valentine's Special **

**Care**

* * *

><p>"Really, really? What did he say?"<p>

"Oh, you can't be serious!"

Ivan couldn't help, but listen in on the gossip that women in the marketplace were talking about. He found it somewhat interesting, even though Minna told him that most of it was complete rubbish. It's been a few weeks since he got situated into living a "normal" life like a regular human being. He was having a hard time adjusting into this regular lifestyle, but he didn't mind the challenges since Minna was there to guide him through it.

"Sorry for the wait! Here you go!" the grocer said, handing him back the small basket he had brought. He looked in it and saw some slices of red meat and two freshly caught fish.

"Thank you," he muttered, handing the old lady a few mesos.

He went over to the next stall and pulled out the small shopping list that Minna had given him earlier. Carrots, he needed carrots.

His green eyes scanned over the bright vegetables laid out in front of him. He picked up a few carrots and placed them in the basket along with the meats. As he handed the grocer some mesos as payment, he heard a loud voice from the stall a few feet away from him.

"Chocolates! Get your chocolates here! White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate! Perfect for that special someone for Valentine's Day!"

Curiously, Ivan blinked as he stared at the chocolate stall. He smelled the faint scent of the delectable sweets and felt his mouth starting to water.

"Hey, hey, are you going to give chocolates to anyone?" a girl asked her friend as they passed by him.

"Of course! But, I'm not going to buy them. It's much more heartfelt when you make them!"

"Oh, that's right! That's right!"

They giggled and walked away until Ivan couldn't hear them anymore. He turned back over to the loud chocolates vendor and then thought back to what the two girls had said.

Giving chocolates? Making them? Buying them? More heartfelt? Valentine's Day?

Ivan lowered his head in thought. He was utterly confused with what he had heard, but on his slow walk back to the house, he began to put the pieces together.

Were you supposed to be giving chocolates to someone on this so called, Valentine's Day? Was making them more heartfelt?

The blonde pulled up the loose long sleeved shirt he was wearing, only to have it slide off his shoulder again. Ivan gently cupped his chin and muttered, "heartfelt?"

He walked up the stairs to the cozy mushroom house and opened up the front door. Inside, he was immediately greeted by Minna.

"Ivan! How were the errands?" she asked happily, taking the basket from him. "They weren't too confusing this time, right?"

Ivan shook his head and watched as Minna giggled. She reached up and gently ruffled up his bleached blond locks. "You're doing well!" She hurried off into the kitchen and began taking the food contents out from the basket. "What did you want to eat tonight, Ivan? Alice and Sean said that they were fine with anything."

He watched her as she rifled through the cupboards and drawers, taking out the cooking utensils. The more he stared at her, he more he began to feel his heartbeat race.

"Ivan? Is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"It's nothing," he mumbled. "I'm okay with anything too."

"Oh...hm..." Minna thoughtfully tapped her chin. "Oh! How about some meatloaf? I haven't made that in such a long time! Does that sound good?"

Ivan nodded, then watched her giggle in response. He felt a strong thump of his heart against his chest at that moment and he quickly raised his hand up to his chest. His body felt warm and his heart refused to slow down.

_"Heart..." _

His pale hand gently clutched at the white fabric of his shirt.

_"Heartfelt?"_

* * *

><p>"Wow! This is really good!"<p>

"Really? Thanks!"

Ivan silently ate small pieces of his meat loaf. He never really conversed with Minna or Alice and her brother when they ate. He was content with simply listening in on Minna's conversations with Alice.

"Did you give chocolates to anyone, Alice?" Minna asked.

Alice blushed softly and mumbled, "n-not really! I don't really have anyone to give any to."

"Eh?" The strawberry blonde smiled slyly and gently nudged Alice in the shoulder. "What about Dante?"

Ivan glanced at the blue haired girl and saw her blushing harder. He silently looked back down at his food before anyone caught him staring. She looked nervous and anxious at the mere mention of Dante's name. Plus, her cheeks were flushed red, kind of like how Minna looked whenever she'd talk to him.

He held his fork in his mouth, silently thinking and trying to understand this whole thing.

"Minna! Can I have more?" Sean asked, excitedly bouncing up and down in his seat beside Ivan.

Minna giggled at how cutely Sean acted and she took his plate. "Of course."

"Yay!"

Ivan watched the cleric walk over to the kitchen. As she passed the small refrigerator in the kitchen, he let his eyes rest upon it for a while. From what he could remember, there were some leftover chocolates and cake ingredients from a few days ago.

_"Love...heartfelt...?" _

"Ivan? Did you want another serving too?" Minna asked the blond gunslinger.

His heart quickened again when he saw her kind smile. "I'm fine," he muttered softly, eating up the last of his meal.

Ivan wondered if he finally figured out the whole thing. The chocolates, the day called Valentine's Day, the meaning "heartfelt"...

He took another look at Minna, who was lightly humming a simple, cheery tune as she filled up Sean's plate. "Love," he whispered almost inaudibly.

* * *

><p>"Ow..."<p>

Ivan flinched at the small cut he accidentally made on his hand. The injury healed itself immediately before any blood could come out. He stared at the pale skin that covered the wound and sighed. Baking and cooking seemed a lot easier when Minna was right next to him, helping and guiding him through the steps.

Focusing himself again, Ivan concentrated on cutting up the block of dark chocolate before him. He wanted to make them into smaller pieces which would be easier to make into a small chocolate ball.

He wanted to ask Minna for help, but he then again, he wanted this whole thing to be a surprise.

With everyone else sleeping upstairs, Ivan made sure not to make too much sound with the cooking utensils.

His nimble fingers went to work, scooping up some chocolate pieces and forming them into small orbs. Some of them collapsed after a few seconds and Ivan went back to remake them...only to have them collapse again.

He felt frustration building up inside of him at the chocolates, but his expression remained stoic. Instead of giving up, he continued to go back to the chocolate balls and try to shape them evenly again.

"Ivan...?"

He turned towards the stairs and saw Minna walking towards him slowly, sleepily rubbing her eye. Ivan lowered his gaze and placed the chocolate in his hands back down on the kitchen counter. He felt slight embarrassment.

"Ivan? What are you doing up so late? What's all this?" Minna asked, blinking and staring at the chocolate and the mess he created.

"I heard that today was Valentine's Day. It heard that it was more heartfelt to make chocolates," he muttered.

"Mm?"

The pirate felt a light fluttering feeling inside of his stomach when he felt Minna lean in close to him. His hand flinched when he felt her bare arm brush past his skin. "I don't know if I'm doing it right."

Minna looked up at him and widened her wine red eyes when she saw the slightest bit of a pink blush on his cheeks. She couldn't help, but smile at how adorable he looked. Already, she knew that Ivan had a hard time expressing himself and his true feelings. Even now, she could tell that he was embarrassing greatly.

"See?" She took up some of the odd chocolate balls and molded it carefully and gently with her delicate hands. "All it needs is a gentle touch," she said, holding up the perfectly shaped candy.

Ivan followed her example and sure enough, he made a perfectly shaped chocolate ball as well. "I wanted to make a lot for you."

"Eh?"

"You give chocolates to someone you like today?"

Minna blushed heavily and nervously stuttered out, "we-well...that's right! But, Valentine's is already over-!" she stopped herself when she saw the small clock hanging near the stove. It still hadn't passed midnight. She looked up at Ivan again and felt as if her heart would nearly burst when she saw a shy gaze in his green eyes.

"You...You like me, Ivan?" the strawberry blonde asked shyly.

"I don't know," Ivan mumbled, reaching up to gently place his hand over his chest. "I feel weird whenever I see you or talk to you. I don't know why. My heart is so loud..."

"You're too honest Ivan!" Minna exclaimed, blushing profusely. She played with her hands, nervously lacing and unlacing them. "But..." she whispered out, "th-thank you."

Ivan looked at the two chocolate balls that they each made. "Only two..."

Minna laughed softly and took the one she made. "Two's enough, isn't it?" She gently took the chocolate ball and held it up to him.

The gunslinger gently leaned forward and parted his lips. The small chocolate ball slipped into his mouth easily. It melted and although it was just plain chocolate, Ivan thought it was the best chocolate he had ever eaten.

He looked over at the chocolate ball he made and took it in between his fingers. Like Minna, he held it out to her, offering it up.

She smiled softly and leaned forward to eat it. "It's good!" she exclaimed as she let it melt in her mouth.

Ivan, pleased with how she reacted, blushed softly. His fingers twitched before he stepped closer to her. His heart raced as he shyly wrapping his arms around her small figure.

"I-Ivan?" Minna asked, surprised.

He said nothing as he buried his face into the side of her neck. Taking in her sweet scent, he closed his eyes and relaxed. He really was rendered defenseless around her.

Minna smiled at his gentle embrace and returned it by wrapping her own arms around him. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ivan."

"Happy Valentine's Day...Minna."

* * *

><p><strong>AN **_Probably has a lot of grammar errors. LULZ OH WELL._

_HOPE THAT WAS ROMANTIC ENOUGH.  
><em>

_Next couple will be Ada and Cedric._


	2. Sweet Talk Dante x Alice

**A/N **_Yes, I know this isn't Cedric x Ada, but this has been sitting in my document manager, going in and out of editing, for almost 3 months now. _

_This is Alice x Dante by the way, and it takes place in a sort of "AU" world that's more modern like the present time. _

* * *

><p><strong>Aegis<strong>

**Extra Chapter: Sweet Talk**

As a high school girl, it seemed as though it was a staple to _have_ a cell phone. Even one of those old, bulky "cell phones" were okay. It was certainly better than having no phone at all. If you didn't own a cell phone, you were considered lame and "uncool." How a simple device could make you popular, Alice didn't know. Which was one of the reasons that she did not bother to get one until today...

"You probably can't handle one with too many functions."

Alice nodded rather pathetically, having no idea what her friend Ada was talking about. Wasn't calling people the only function cell phone had?

"How about this one?" Ada pointed to a simple silver flip phone in a small glass display case. "It's pretty basic and its the cheapest one here."

The blue haired girl walked over to her friend's side and peered into the case. Still, she really didn't care for a cell phone, but she felt that it was necessary if she didn't want to become the social pariah of her high school. "I-I think I have enough money for that one."

Ada shook her head in disapproval as she placed her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you came this far without a cell phone."

"I don't really have anyone to call! Besides, my home phone is just fine for when I want to talk to you and Minna!"

* * *

><p>As Alice walked back home from the phone store, she held her tiny silver cell phone in her hands and she stared at it. Was she now going to be free of the ridicules of not having a cell phone? She sighed in relief of the thought of finally having a peaceful school day once again.<p>

"Hey, where the hell were you?"

Alice raised her head and blinked when she saw her tutor in front of her house. It wasn't like she really needed a tutor, but her mother refused to let her grades slip in even the slightest. And so...she had to deal with the man standing before her. "You're only my tutor! Why does it matter what time I come home?"

His name was Dante. Apparently he graduated at the top of his class and he was currently attending one of the most prestigious colleges. Of course, Alice had no doubt in her mind that she could do the same..._without_ his help.

"It matters to me when your mother pays me for each tutoring session!"

Alice let out soft 'hmph' and brushed past him to unlock the door to her house. "If you're that desperate for money, why don't you just go find another job?"

She heard him scoff softly as she opened up the front door. "I would if I could," he muttered.

Alice pursed her lips and pretended like she didn't hear him. It was the only way she could keep him quiet. Butting heads with him by throwing another insult caused them to fight even more. Tiredly, she dumped her white backpack onto the couch and flopped down next to it. Alice stretched herself out and let out a content sigh.

At this, Dante rolled his red eyes. "Come on, you slacker. Take out the stuff you learned in school today."

The blue haired girl sat up and pouted. "I don't even need to study anything!"

"And why not? I know you're not a genius."

"I don't have a test or anything tomorrow!"

Dante scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's beside the point! I bet you're one of those people that cram the night before and lose a night's worth of sleep."

Alice turned scarlet red in embarrassment. "N-No I don't!" she lied, quickly getting up from the couch.

"You may bring home good grades, but you're still an idiot."

She glared at him and he glared at her right back. Seeing as how they weren't going to get anywhere, Alice broke their silent tirade and rushed off into the kitchen to get a glass of juice. Quickly and discreetly, Alice glanced at him as he took a seat at the low table in the living room. "Stupid," she muttered, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I saw that," Dante called out.

Alice blushed again, shutting the door to the refrigerator. "You were meant to, stupid Dante!"

* * *

><p>He didn't want to admit it, but she was right. He wasn't really needed for any tutoring.<p>

Dante leaned against his left arm and watched as Alice sat next him, solving many difficult math problems easily. Another thing that he didn't want to admit was that she had the potential to actually become smarter than him.

"There," Alice said, writing in the last number. She handed the thick workbook to Dante triumphantly.

As he checked over the problems, he noticed her pulling out a small silver cell phone from the pocket of her jeans. She curiously flipped it open when a flashing green light blinked urgently on the corner. Alice's bright blue eyes quickly scanned over what Dante assumed to be a text message. After a while, she blinked and curiously looked from the screen down to the small keypad.

Dante found himself staring at her rather than focusing on her workbook. Her eyes flickered back and forth from her fingers to the tiny screen. From the hesitance shown as she pressed each key as well as the confused look written all over her face, Dante figured that she didn't know how to use a cell phone.

He sighed tiredly after watching her unsuccessfully try to punch in some letters. "What are you doing, you idiot?"

Alice turned to him and quickly snapped her phone shut. "N-Nothing! Nothing you need to know!"

Leaning against his arm again, Dante smirked and asked her, "you never had a cell phone, did you?"

Immediately, Alice widened her eyes and blushed furiously. She looked away from him and started to play with her hair. After a long pause, she finally managed to stutter out under her breath, "s-so what if I never did?" She expected him to laugh or tease her endlessly until she couldn't hear the end of it. However, instead of all that, he surprised her by holding out his hand.

"Give it to me."

"Eh?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Hesitantly, Alice gave him the cell phone. She watched him as he examined it for a while.

"Hm, I had this model a few years ago." He flipped it open and pushed some buttons. Dante adjusted the thin black rimmed glasses on his face and handed the phone back to her. "You were trying to reply to your friend, weren't you?"

Alice feebly nodded, taking the phone from his hands. It surprised her when he scooted closer to her so that he was looking over her shoulder.

"Here, press this button to get to the menu and open up your message," he said right beside her ear, causing her blood to rush up to her head rapidly.

"U-Uhm...ri-right," the blue haired girl stuttered out, pushing the small blue button on the keypad. A menu popped up and all the colorful icons animatedly moved around.

"There, click the little mailbox icon and it'll take you to your inbox." Dante leaned forward and gently tapped the small display screen with his finger.

As soon as Alice did that, she immediately saw the message that Ada had sent her. She hesitated for a while, deciding on what to do before Dante could say anything.

"You have to use your number pad to type since your phone doesn't have a separate keyboard. Here." Dante reached around her, placing his hands around hers. Alice blushed heavily at the position that they were in and she prayed that he wouldn't be able to hear her heartbeat wildly inside of her chest. "See?" He gently guided her fingers to the keypad and pushed down.

"O-Oh..." Alice stuttered out, finding herself unable to process any of the information Dante was giving her.

"Do you get it now?"

When she felt his hot breath against her ear, Alice couldn't take it anymore. She turned and shoved him away. Loudly she exclaimed, "you're too close!"

Dante fell on his elbows. They felt dull with pain, but he ignored it. "What the hell was that for? I was teaching how to use your phone!" He noticed how red her face was and Alice seemed to take notice of this as well.

She gasped and clapped her hands over her hot cheeks, trying vainly to hide them. Without another word, she ran out of her house, slamming the front door shut.

Dante narrowed her eyes at her and slowly sat up. "Idiot...what was she getting so worked up about?" He noticed that he still had her phone in his hand. Sighing heavily as he ran his hand through his midnight black hair, Dante nonchalantly clicked through her phone. She wouldn't know he did anyways.

Curiously, he opened up her contacts list and saw only two names listed in it, Ada and Minna, both of whom Dante knew were Alice's friends.

"I thought she'd be more popular..." he muttered. However, secretly he found himself relieved and _liking_ the fact that she didn't have that many other numbers in her phone, especially ones that belonged to other guys. Dante, annoyed with his own thoughts, snapped the phone shut sharply. "What the hell am I doing?" he asked himself as he set the silver phone down on the table.

Finding himself eyeing it once more, Dante looked over to the front door and then back at the phone. Quickly, he picked up the cell phone again and flipped it open. He found himself suddenly determined to input his number into her phone. Before he could even object to it himself, his fingers had already punched in his name and his phone number into the contact list.

_"...It's only for tutoring. If she has any questions, that's right. I'm her tutor after all." _

A bit embarrassed at what he had done, he set the phone down on the table again and quickly picked up his bag. A part of him wanted to go back to the phone and erase his contact information, but then, another part of him urged him to leave it. Then, the very smallest part of him actually wished that she would call him perhaps later today or tomorrow.

Embarrassed with himself once more, Dante groaned and buried his face in his hand as he rushed towards the front door. Unfortunately for him, that was the exact moment that Alice came back in. They nearly bumped into each other and almost immediately, Alice apologized.

"I-I'm sorry! Uhm...are you leaving right now?"

"We're done for the day," he replied briefly, hoping that he could get past her.

"Eh? O-Oh..." Alice lowered her head as if she were ashamed. "If...this is about me running out on you, I'm sorry. I won't do it again." She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, giving him an apologetic gaze that was silently asking him to forgive her.

Dante felt his heart suddenly thump loudly inside his chest. He looked away, feeling a blush creep up his neck. "F-Forget it," he stuttered.

"I'm really sorry."

_"Quit apologizing. How could I not forgive you with that look you're giving me?" _Dante thought as he brushed past her. He tried to remain calm and collected, but he knew that if he said another word to her, that would soon change. Awkwardly and silently, he strode out of the small house and down the front steps. Before he could get down onto the sidewalk, he heard Alice coming down the steps.

She hastily grabbed a hold of his arm, stopping him. "I'm sorry," she insisted once more. Her face was bright with a flush of pink on her cheeks. She looked embarrassed, whether it was because of her earlier action or if she was just embarrassed of apologizing to him, he'll never figure it out.

"I told you it's fine. Quit apologizing."

Alice's left hand gently squeezed at the rolled up sleeves of his white dress shirt. "But...you look mad at me."

Dante sighed at her. "Why does that matter? I'm only your tutor." He pulled away from her and much to her surprise, he placed his hand on her head. "I'm not mad at you," he reassured her, smiling softly. "So stop worrying about something that insignificant."

Feebly, Alice nodded and lowered her eyes to the ground. Her heart jumped at his gentle touch and she wished that he would keep his hand there for a little while longer.

"Good." As soon as that word left his mouth, Dante gave her head a push, not too strongly, but just enough so that it caused her to stumble backwards on her feet. "Make sure you're not late next time, you slacker. And I won't tolerate it if you decide to shove me to the ground and run out on me again."

Alice widened her eyes at him as he walked away. She felt anger bubbling up inside of her. "Stupid!" she shouted, stomping her foot on the ground. "You can't boss me around!" When he didn't turn around to acknowledge her, it served to anger her even more. Huffing loudly, Alice looked down and saw a very conveniently placed rock, the size of a small walnut. She didn't think twice as she grabbed it and hurled it towards him.

Much to her great delight, it hit him directly on the back of his head. She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him as he cringed in pain.

Dante held his hand to the place where he got struck and whipped around. He glared at the blue haired girl and stormed over to her.

Alice noticed this immediately. Quick on her feet, she ran back into her house and closed the door before he could reach her. As she locked it, she heard him banging on the door with his fist.

"Idiot! Open this door! When your mom hears about this-!"

"Who's gonna tell?"

"_I_ will!"

"You shoved me first!" Alice retaliated, leaning back against the door.

"You're so childish! Why do you always drag me into these sort of things?"

"You instigate them, stupid!"

She remained there silently for a while, awaiting a response from him. After a few minutes of silence, Alice curiously turned around and opened up the door. She did so cautiously, thinking that he was just outside waiting for her to open it up. Alice felt the slightest bit of disappointment when she didn't see him on the front porch. Her lips turned into a little pout as she looked up and down the street, hoping to see him. As she dropped her head and slowly closed the door, she caught herself.

"What are you doing, Alice?" she muttered to herself, firmly clapping her hands over her cheeks. "Of course he wouldn't be there."

Sighing heavily, Alice walked over to the living room again and dropped down next to the low table. She gently pushed aside the workbooks and her homework off to the side and picked up her new cell phone. Alice opened it up and wondered if she should text Ada back. Her fingers lightly flitted above the keys as she tried to recall what Dante had taught her. However, the only thing she could remember was how close he was to her. Close enough so that she could feel his breath tickle the skin on her neck, the heat of his body against hers, the sound of his voice in her ears...

Alice quickly let go of her phone and buried her face in her hands. She shook her head vigorously and shouted, "get those thoughts out of your head!"

The dropped phone made a rather loud clattering sound on the ground, prompting Alice to remove her hands from her face and quickly pick up the phone again. Before she could inspect it for any visible damage, she saw that the screen had changed from the main menu to the contacts list. Her bright cyan eyes widened at the sight of a familiar name on it.

"...Dante?" Her heartbeat quickened just at the sound of his name. "Why is he here?" She managed to click into his info and saw his phone number below his name. How his number got into her phone in the first place was the last thing on her mind. The only thing she could think about at the moment was what to do with his phone number. Should she text him? Was this even his number? Would it be too much to call him?

Alice tightly held the silver phone in her hands, her fingers placed upon the tiny keyboard rigidly. She didn't know what to do. After sitting there for more than ten minutes doing nothing, but staring at his phone number, she snapped the phone shut and clasped it in her hands. Finally, she asked herself, "how did his number get in there?"

* * *

><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap.<em>

That was the sound that Alice's navy blue pencil made as the lead made contact with her unfinished math homework. She sat at her desk in her room, leaning against her left arm and blankly staring off into space. Getting her homework done was the least of her worries. For the past few hours, she was conflicted on what to do. Namely, with Dante's phone number.

It seemed rude to not do anything. Alice had concluded that Dante must have entered it into her phone when she had ran out of the house haphazardly. Surely, it would be rude to not do anything with the number.

Alice sighed and pushed herself away from the desk. Using her swivel chair, she rolled herself over to her nightstand and picked up the phone. Her heart jumped as she flipped it open and her fingers rested upon the smooth keys. Was it too bold to call him? Perhaps she would just send him a simple text message.

Nervously, Alice managed to type up a simple message.

_Hi._

"Is that too simple?" she mumbled, erasing it quickly and reentering another message.

_Hi. You left your number in my phone. _

Alice hit the 'send' button and anxiously awaited a reply. Within a few minutes, the tiny phone made a light jingling noise, signalling to her that she had received a message. It was from Dante and she wasted no time in opening it up.

_Of course I did. Are you an idiot?_

She blushed in embarrassment and she was thankful that he wasn't around to tease her about it. Alice huffed and sent him another message.

_I'm going to delete your number if you keep being mean to me!_

After a few minutes, she received his reply.

_It looks like you know how to type up texts now._

Before Alice could type up a response, her phone rang sharply, startling her. She pressed the 'call' button and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Good, you know how to pick up the phone too."

She widened her eyes and blushed brightly. "Sh-Shut up! I'm not that stupid!"

"I know you're not." When Alice heard his low chuckle over the phone, she blushed again because she knew that he was just teasing her.

"You're mean! I'm going to delete your phone number!"

"Can you?"

It wasn't a matter of could she do it, it was a matter of _would_ she do it? Truthfully, Alice found herself secretly liking the fact that she could call and talk with him whenever she felt like it.

"Why did you give me your phone number anyways?" Alice shyly asked, hoping for some sort of a "positive" response from him. Nervously, she spun her finger around a loose piece of string on her shirt and wrapped the string around her finger.

"Why else? I'm your tutor. I thought it was inconvenient for you if you had a question on something and you had to wait until our next session to have it be answered."

_"But he knows that I rarely ask any questions." _

"Oh, really? Th-Thanks..." Alice said with a slight giggle at the end. "I-I mean...I don't really need your help, but-"

She heard him chuckle again. Her body trembled slightly at the sound of his voice. Was it always this low?

"Stubborn and an idiot," he sighed, laughing again.

Alice pouted and let out a soft 'hmph.' "I'm not stubborn, or an idiot." Her swivel chair squeaked softly as she spun around once in it. She stopped herself by planting her white sock covered feet on the carpeted floor. "Uhm...so...can I call you anytime?"

"Anytime you have a question," he replied.

"I...I won't be bothering you...will I?"

"No."

The blue haired girl blushed and began playing with a lock of her hair. "T-Then-! Uhm...I'll call you later!" Her heart suddenly began to speed up. She silently scolded herself for sounding like an immature, lovestruck teenager, but that's just what she was at the moment, unknown to her.

"Sure."

Quickly, Alice snapped her phone shut, hanging up the call. She held the phone over her swiftly beating heart and pulled her legs up to her chest. Finally, she pursed her lips and spun back around to face her homework. "I don't like him," she told herself firmly. "I certainly don't _love_ him."

* * *

><p>A few days passed since their first phone call and Alice had called him almost every night after that. The subject started off with a simple question that Alice had on her homework - which she really didn't have any real problems with to begin with - then the phone calls went on for minutes, then hours. Aside from the homework problems, they would talk about anything. School, friends, anything that was bugging them, or something trivial as to whatever they had for dinner. It was simple and that was the fun of it.<p>

Alice didn't feel so shy when she talked with him on the phone. It was a lot easier to talk to him without actually facing him.

At lunch, Alice fiddled with the phone again. She just couldn't seem to let go of it.

"You didn't even touch your lunch, Alice!"

"Eh?" Alice looked down at her rather "appetizing" lunch featuring a scorched cheese sandwich that was burnt beyond recognition.

"She just might not be hungry," Ada commented, throwing a baby carrot up into the air and catching it in her mouth. Languidly, she crossed her legs. even though she was wearing a skirt. "You look like you have something on your mind, Alice."

"Ah...n-not really." Alice looked away from her friend and tried not to show her embarrassment. Unbeknownst to them, Alice had been daydreaming for the entire lunch period. The matter of her daydreams is what embarrassed her greatly.

All she could think about was calling Dante again. However, she didn't want to seem like she actually _eager_ to talk to him, even though in truth, she really was eager to speak with him. Alice didn't know what they'd talk about, but she just wanted to speak with him, to hear his voice.

Minna's light giggle interrupted Alice's train of thought.

"Maybe she's in love," she said in a sing-song voice. Minna giggled lightly again when Alice blushed and tried to hide her face. "See?" She leaned over to Alice, placing both her hands on the soft green grass. "I was right!"

"Th-That's ridiculous!" Alice buried her face in the custard yellow sleeve of her uniform's sweater.

"It's true!" Minna laughed and tried to pry Alice's arms away from her face. "Who is it?" she asked excitedly. "Is it someone in our class?"

Alice hesitated a little before shaking her head.

"Is he older than us?"

"Ma-Maybe..."

Minna squealed loudly, causing Ada to roll her gray eyes and stubbornly plug her ears with her fingers. "Isn't this so cute, Ada? Alice is in love!"

"This isn't something that get that excited over-"

"How old is he?" the strawberry blonde asked, still preppy and excited to know more about the object of Alice's infatuation.

Alice blushed harder as she divulged more details about him to her friends. "Uhm...ni-nineteen. He goes to the college in the next city."

"What's his name? What's his name?" Minna pressed on. Her wine red eyes seem to widen with curiosity and excitement. "How did you meet him?"

"Jeez calm down," Ada grumbled, shoving another baby carrot into her mouth.

Puffing up her cheeks in irritation, Minna snapped around to glare at Ada. The black haired girl simply returned the glare and stuck her tongue out which was covered in chewed up carrot pieces. Minna whined and shoved Ada away. "That's disgusting, Ada!"

As she watched their tirade, Alice felt her cell phone vibrating in the pocket of her plaid skirt. It startled her at first, but she quickly fished it out of her pockets and flipped it open. Her cheeks immediately flared up and her heart beat raced when she saw that Dante had sent her a text message. She told herself to calm down, but that was easier said than done.

_'Are you busy today?' _his message read.

_'Why?'_ she asked him.

_'We should make up the rest of the tutoring session. Remember? You ran out on me =_=' _

Alice pouted a little and texted him back. _'That was your fault!'_

_'Whatever, you idiot. I'll be at the front entrance of your school when you come out.'_

"Pompous asshole," Alice muttered under her breath as she snapped her cell phone shut.

* * *

><p>"Does he look cool? I want to see him!"<p>

"Calm down Minna. He's just a guy." Ada said lazily as the three of them walked out of the school.

"But I'm so curious! It's killing me!" Minna exclaimed, unable to calm herself down. She clung to Alice's arm and jumped up and down. "He said he's waiting for you at the front gate, right?"

"Ye-Yeah..."

They walked out of the main school building and out into the school yard. Alice's heart wouldn't slow down as she got closer to their meeting place. Suddenly, she began to be self conscious about her appearance. Did she look okay? Was her hair neat and orderly? Did she have bad breath?

Finally, there she saw him. He was casually leaning against one of the stone columns and looking off into the distance. Occasionally, he'd look down to check his watch, checking the time as if he was expecting someone.

"Wow! Is that him?" Minna bounced up and down again, her wavy orange hair seemed to bounce along with her. "He's tall! I think he'd look really good without the glasses though! You're so lucky, Alice!"

"He's just my tutor!"

"What?" Ada asked incredulously. "He's that asshole of a tutor your mom set you up with?"

Alice giggled lightly at what Ada said and nodded her head. "Unfortunately."

"He doesn't look that mean!" the bubbly orange haired girl retorted. She looked over at Dante and watched him until he finally turned around to meet them. Minna visibly flinched a little when she saw his sharp red eyes narrow in a mean glare. "M-Maybe I spoke too soon..." she stuttered as Dante stormed over to them. Seeing as how he looked annoyed, Minna quickly released her hold on Alice and ran over to Ada. She tugged on her arm. "Ada, maybe we should give them some time alone!"

"Huh? What?" Ada complained, wanting to stay by Alice's side, but she was quickly dragged away.

Finding herself alone to face whatever it was that Dante was about to bring to her, Alice let out a sigh and bravely decided to go forward.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked her.

"Eh?"

"You don't even pick up your phone! I thought you went home already since you came out so late!"

"I-I'm not that forgetful, you know!"

Dante scoffed and crossed her arms over his chest. "Whatever. Next time, pick up your phone when I'm calling you."

"What's the big deal?" Alice mumbled, fishing her phone out of her small white backpack. When she flipped it open, she saw that there were eight missed calls, all from Dante. "Huh? You called me this many times?" She looked up at him in amazement, but he quickly looked away. Alice saw that his face was a little bit flushed.

"Forget it. Let's just go get your session done," he grumbled, embarrassed that he had called her that many times. What was he doing? Acting like some pathetic lovestruck preteen desperate to get the girl he likes...

* * *

><p>"Dante?"<p>

"What?" he snapped out.

"...Why are we here?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Well because...usually people come to cafes to eat...or to..." Alice trailed off when she eyed a couple that sat at the table in front of them. They cuddled and kissed each other while enjoying their cup of coffee and slice of cake.

She wondered why Dante dragged her to a cafe instead of someplace a bit more quiet. A cafe is the last place where Alice would even think to study, let alone study with a tutor. She blushed as the couple in front of them began to kiss each other deeper.

"Quit staring unless you want me to think you're a pervert instead of an idiot."

"I'm not a pervert!" Alice exclaimed, drawing the attention of some people at the nearby tables.

"Then concentrate on this," Dante tapped her homework with his finger, "instead of gawking at other people."

"Why did you even bring me here anyways?" she grumbled. "The library would have been more suitable." Alice didn't only find the couples distracting, but also the sweet smell of cakes and pastries. She hadn't eaten her lunch earlier and the only thing that lingered in her mind was the thought of food.

A waitress passed their table, carrying a colorful assortment of sweet cookies and pies. Her mouth watered at the sight.

"Are you hungry?"

"Huh?"

Dante rolled his eyes and called over a waitress. "Could you please bring over two cups of coffee and a menu?"

"Right away."

Alice watched her leave, then blinked at Dante curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"You're hungry aren't you?"

"N-No..."

"Quit lying. I can hear your stomach rumbling."

She turned beet red at his comment. "Then you shouldn't have brought me here in the first place!" Alice pursed her lips and looked away from him. "A library would have been better! Or...maybe my house where we always meet..."

Dante glared at her as he adjusted his thin black rimmed glasses. "Just consider yourself lucky that I even brought you here." As he turned to thank the waitress as she brought out the hot coffee and menus, Alice grumbled under her breath and stuck her tongue out at him. "Here." He handed her one of the smooth green colored menus. "Quit moping and order something."

"I'm not moping!" Alice scoffed and snatched the menu away from him. She quickly buried her nose in, hiding herself from him. Embarrassment quickly followed, when she heard him chuckle. "Wh-What's so funny?" she stuttered out, peeking out from behind the menu.

He simply smiled at her a little and opened up his menu.

"Hey! Answer me-!"

Dante intervened. "You can order whatever it is you want."

"Eh?" Alice blinked and let her blue eyes scan over the various items on the menu. "Really? A-Anything?" Already, she was in awe of how many selections of cakes and pastries they had.

"I don't want to repeat myself, you idiot."

She glanced over at him, pretending to look over the menu. When she did, she saw the slightest touch of a blush on his cheeks. Alice smiled and went back to look at the menu. _'He must be embarrassed,' _she thought, finding his action to be quite adorable.

"Did you decide yet?" he asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh! Uhm..." Alice quickly tried to pinpoint one of the colorful cakes on the menu. If Dante found out that she hadn't been actually concentrating on the menu, he'd probably insult her again for being an airhead. "M-Maybe this one!" She showed the menu to him and pointed to a small kiwi flavored cheesecake.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be-?" She stopped herself when she finally looked down at the kiwi cheesecake on the menu and saw the price for it. It was the most expensive cake on there.

Dante sighed as he snapped his menu shut. "Fine then." Before Alice could stop him, he had already flagged down a waiter. "One strawberry cake for me and a kiwi cheesecake for her, please," he ordered, handing the neatly dressed waiter their two menus.

"Of course. I'll bring them to you shortly."

Just as the waiter left their table, Alice grabbed Dante's attention. "I...I didn't want to order that!" she shouted.

"What? You told me you wanted it!" Dante retorted.

"We-Well...that is..." Alice lowered her head and fiddled with her hands. Nervously, she rocked back and forth in her seat, unable to actually say what she wanted to tell him. She didn't bring that much money with her and she certainly did not want to burden him by making him pay for it all.

Sitting there watching her stumble upon her words, Dante leaned his head against his hand. He waited for her to say something, but all he heard from her was a series of incoherent mumbles. "If you're worried about the price of it, forget it."

"What?"

"I'm paying for it. It's no big deal."

"Then it is a big deal!" Alice exclaimed.

Before their conversation could continue, the waiter had brought out their coffee and their cakes. Alice marveled at the kiwi cheesecake slice that was placed in front of her. It looked beautiful and delicious. The top was glazed just slightly with sugar and the single kiwi fruit slice on the cake was bright with its healthy green glow. Alice couldn't wait to eat it, but she still had to settle the bill problem with Dante.

"Just eat it," Dante said, as if he was reading her mind.

"But-"

"I told you it's fine. Besides, you should have no problem making me, your "evil" tutor, pay for it."

"Y-Your not evil..."

"What was that?"

Alice blushed and looked down at her lap. "You're not evil...necessarily. Maybe just...mean sometimes," she mumbled nervously.

Dante picked up the small, thin fork and cut away a section of his strawberry cake. "How am I mean?" he asked her, sounding casually oblivious to it.

"You know what I mean! You're always insulting me and calling me an idiot and-mmph!" She stopped when she found herself unable to talk when Dante shoved a piece of cake in her mouth.

"That's because you are an idiot," Dante replied, pulling the small silver fork out of her mouth. He couldn't help, but chuckle when she chewed at the spongy cake with a disgruntled look on her face. "Is the cake bad?" he asked her, cutting away at another section.

With a full mouth, Alice shook her head and mumbled, "n-not really." Once she swallowed, she saw Dante holding out another piece of cake to her.

"You're not full already are you?"

Without giving a verbal response, Alice opened up her mouth and chomped down on the cake again. She raised her hand to wipe away a smudge of cream on the corner of the lips. "Stupid Dante," she mumbled under her breath.

* * *

><p>"So, we should meet up for another session next week."<p>

"Mm," Alice replied shortly as she walked along beside him. She still felt nervous to be around him, or perhaps uneasy. Constantly she wondered if she looked decent, if she didn't give off any strange odors, if something was stuck in between her teeth...

"How do you walk down this street at night?" Dante asked, getting her attention again.

"E-Eh?" Alice stammered out, caught off guard by his question. "Erm, I don't really walk around here when it's this dark." Truthfully, she always found the surrounding neighborhood streets to be dark and creepy at night whenever she'd look out from her bedroom window. There would be shady people walking around that Alice would never want to meet face to face, much less share the same sidewalk as them.

Up ahead, Alice saw a rather shady individual walk up to him. He had his hands in his pockets and the lower half of his face was concealed by a large scarf. As he walked past then, he roughly brushed past Alice and didn't bother to apologize as she stumbled on her feet.

Dante noticed this and sighed. "Idiot." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close towards him. "This is a narrow sidewalk."

"But-!"

"Just stay close. It's not that bad, is it?"

Alice shook her head slightly as she rested it against his chest. Subconsciously, she found herself leaning in closer as they walked on. She felt safe in his embrace, not to mention, it felt comforting with the way he held her.

Unfortunately, they got to her house more quickly than she would have liked. Funny - the walk seemed much longer when she would be walking by herself.

"Will you be okay?" Alice asked as Dante walked her up to the front door.

"What?" he smirked. "Are you worried about me?"

"Of course not! It's just that..." Alice couldn't think of anything else to say in return.

Dante watched as she tried to find some other words to shoot back at him and he couldn't help, but think that she looked absolutely adorable. He was decidely in a rather playful mood, perhaps he could get her to make some other expressions.

"Can't find the right words?" Dante asked, smirking as he stepped closer to her.

"E-Eh?"

Alice's back met her front door and she stared up at Dante as he placed his forearm against the door, right beside her head. Her heart began to hammer away inside of her chest as she realized what kind of position they were in.

Teasingly, Dante leaned down to her ear and blew a puff of air at her. Alice let out an involuntary whimper and shrunk back into the door.

He laughed at her shy reaction. "You're so sensitive."

Embarrassed, Alice pursed her lips into a tight frown and let out a sharp 'hmph' as she managed to turn away from him. "Stupid Dante...don't tease me if you're not serious."

"Serious? About what?"

Suddenly feeling angry with how aloof and oblivious he was with the subject at hand, Alice whipped around to face him again. She clenched her fists tightly and shouted, "you may attend one of the best colleges, but you're so slow when it comes to these things!"

"Are you calling _me_ an idiot?" Dante asked, shooting her an annoyed glare.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm calling you! You're the idiot even though you call me one!"

"Then please tell me how I'm supposed to figure out what you're trying to say when you're talking in damn riddles?"

"I'm not!"

"Then get straight to the point."

Alice bit her tongue back. "I..." she stammered out, blushing.

"Well?"

"Er...th-that is..." Alice thought she would die from keeping in the three words he desperately wanted to say to him. _'I love you. I love you. I love you! Damn it! Just say it, Alice!' _

"I-I...I lo-" she began to stutter out softly.

Dante brought his arm up to check the watch on his wrist. "Forget it," he muttered, "it's getting late."

"Eh?" Alice watched in defeat as he walked down from the front steps of her apartment. She clutched at the collar of her white school uniform, trying to force herself to say those three words. _Just_ those three words...

"C-Can I call you?" she asked instead.

"Actually...I should probably focus on my exams," Dante said from the foot of the steps.

"R-Right..." Alice lowered her head, feeling as though he had brushed her off. It hurt a little bit. It was the first time that he had refused to talk with her on the phone. "Uhm, I-!"

"Yeah?"

The blue haired girl froze when he looked at her again. She stared into his piercing red eyes and she instantly felt her throat tighten up, unable to produce words. Sullen and downtrodden when the outcome of such a promising day, Alice lowered her head and whispered, "fine...I won't bother you."

Dante shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark blue jeans and mumbled, "well when you say it like that...I wasn't really meaning it like that." He growled in frustration and scratched his head, messing up his black hair. "You're just being really weird today."

Alice nervously shuffled her brown dress shoes on the ground. She really didn't know what to say to him, nor did she have the courage to say what she initially wanted to.

Then suddenly, a thought struck her.

He saw her taking off the white backpack off her back and setting it down on the ground. She was rifling through her pretty spiral notebooks and textbooks, looking for something. Dante raised an eyebrow when he saw her pulling out her phone, then turning her back towards him.

Thinking that their conversation was over, Dante sighed tiredly and started to walk away. But just before he could take the first step, he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Curiously, he pulled it out and blinked when he saw the caller ID to be flashing Alice's name. He turned his head back to look at her and saw that she was still turned towards her front door with her small silver phone pressed up to her ear.

Dante sighed before opening it. He was about to yell at her to quit playing these silly games, but then he held back when he heard her soft voice on the other side.

_"I love you." _

He widened his eyes at her sudden confession. "Alice..."

_"I love you. I love you so much, I don't know what to do," _he heard her say in a voice filled with the fear of rejection, but at the same time, confidence.

* * *

><p>Alice trembled as she held her phone close to her ear. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she poured her feelings out to him through the phone. "I want to keep calling you because I like it when I can hear your voice. And it isn't so hard when I'm talking to you like this."<p>

_"Is it?" _

She flinched when she heard his footsteps behind her, but she still did not face him. "I-It is. I...I can never say these things when I'm looking at you directly. I want to...but...how can I?"

"You can," she heard him say through the phone and from directly behind her.

Alice felt him place his hand on her shoulder and turn her around. It was intimidating to meet his gaze and face him, but she offered up in resistance as he moved her.

Dante saw her cheeks burning with a bright blush as she held an embarrassed look on her face. Still holding his cell phone to his ear, he looked into her eyes and said, "because I love you too."

With both of them still holding onto their phones, Dante leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss. It made Alice's cheeks heat up more when she could hear the soft sounds of their kiss in through her phone.

When Dante pulled away, he smiled at her and asked, "do you love me too?"

Alice heard the echo of his voice in her phone. She blushed heavily and shook her head. "I...I-"

He gently placed his hand over the receiver of her phone and pushed her hand away from her head slowly. Alice trembled from the loss of the familiar pressure of her phone being pressed to her ear, but she managed to say what she needed to say.

"-love you."

Dante leaned in close, dropping the hand that he held his phone with to his side. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Alice giggled nervously and softly, slightly proud with her feat. "Not that much."

He chuckled as he brought her in for another kiss. Gently, he brought her hand that held her tiny silver phone to his hand that held his own black phone.

Neither of them bothered to hang up as they kissed each other. Needless to say, both of them were on busy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN **_If there's a lot of positive responses with this modern-day AU oneshot, then I'll make the Ada x Cedric oneshot a modern-day AU as well. :] _

_And if anyone's curious, Alice's phone is like those really old flip phones that have fail texting and Dante has an android phone. See why Alice gets mocked for not having a cell phone when it's the era of smartphones? :p_

_I kid. _

_As always, review please! _


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